Admission
by cerulean.inferno
Summary: Not long after ending their search for the man who smells of sunflowers, Mugen and Fuu frequently find themselves thinking of one another. Do they miss their arguing and constant bickering, or do they simply miss each other?
1. Devotion

--Devotion--

"_I'll see you around."_

Those were the last words spoken before they all went their separate ways. Somehow, in the depths of their subconscious, they all knew where they would all wind up, after all.

She walked slowly back the way from which they had all come, knowing that eventually, she would reach her old village where it all started. She walked back, along the same roads, crossed the same plains, and passed by the same shops. She didn't stray one bit from the original route; she wanted to take in every single memory they had shared while walking that path. She wanted to relive it, in a sense. And that led her back to the beginning, to the only place she felt truly welcome and at peace. She was ready to normalize her life, but she wasn't aware that she was straying away from the man she loved. And she didn't realize it until that night.

He roamed wherever his feet would take him, but he wanted to go to a certain little village. He wanted to go there so badly it nearly ached, knowing he'd feel at ease upon his arrival, but as a felon, he felt he shouldn't take any chances. He was thinking of going somewhere east, although he knew that he didn't have many options regarding hospitality, and sure as hell wasn't going near that damned island. He wanted to believe that he didn't care if he went back to that little village of hers, but somewhere in that ridiculously hard head of his, he knew that he did. So that's why he decided, at the last minute, to take a right at the crossroads instead of a left like he had planned. He took a chance. Because she really was all that mattered…but he denied it until that night.

And as for him, he followed. He, too, was a drifter, like the other man, but he had gotten so used to being in the midst of allies that he simply couldn't walk away from it. Not even having gone a hundred meters, he stopped dead in his tracks, realizing what and who he was parting from. The man knew that he would only find trouble wherever he was going anyway, so he did the first thing that came to mind. It wasn't his style, but he did it. He sprinted back to the crossroads where they separated, and followed either one of the two, desperate for company. At that moment he decided he was going to be the observer. And he did so until that night.

These three people, with such different ways of going about themselves -such different personalities- became friends, despite their never-ending differences. But things change, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, and they were all aware that changes would be happening, but they didn't know what exactly was going to change. Neither of them knew that there was an undefinable bond amongst them that would eventually trigger a myriad of emotions, ranging from positive to negative to completely unexpected. That's why that night was unaccountably important.

And somehow, it proved to be one of the most meaningful nights either of them had ever had.

* * *

As soon as she set foot on the battered cobblestone steps, Fuu breathed in the clean evening air of her village. It had taken her several days to get here, and to be able to finally rest comfortably was a gift.

'Ahhh…' she sighed, and continued walking. She was exhausted, but relieved at the same time.

Everything was familiar; the shops, the homes, the song of the crickets, the people -some of which acknowledged her and welcomed her back- and she loved it. She loved familiarity. It was good to be somewhere she could at least consider home, where there were people who knew her. Now that the Daikan and his son were gone -and, ironically enough, both of their deaths of which Stupid Jerk Mugen and Fish Face Jin were ultimately responsible for- the village was free of harsh tax demands and bankruptcy. The town just never bothered with politics after that, so they had no Daikan, which was rather rare. Though it was definitely better than when Fuu was still with Kikuzo and Ogin, the teahouse owners.

Things had really changed here, but even so, it was the same. It simply lacked the corruption and injustice it had had before her journey, which started five months ago.

Five months. Nearly half a year. They had been traveling together for so long, but…it felt far shorter than Fuu would have liked.

'Hey. Make way, miss. We've got to get through.'

Fuu immediately got off Cloud Nine, and realized she was right in the middle of the road, daydreaming…already.

Two middle-aged men pulling a wooden wagon filled with goods were glaring at her, clearly in a hurry.

'Oh! Um, my bad!', she apologized, jumping to the side of the road hastily. She flashed them a sheepish smile, but they merely shook their heads in return.

'Damn youngsters these days…' she heard one of the men mumble. She puffed her cheeks and then stuck her tongue to the man's back as they were speeding off. Fuu sighed and continued on walking.

'Is it ever good to be back,' she said to herself, as she stretched her arms above her head blissfully.

She passed by several restaurants and nearly swooned when she smelled the medley of aromas, and, having her endless pit of a stomach, suddenly felt incredibly hungry.

'Oh, am I ever starving. I don't even have enough ryo to buy food. God, I'm going to have to find some work soon, or else...'

Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

'Fuu! Fuu, is that you?'

The said girl whipped her head towards the source of the shouting, and scanned the massive crowd, wondering who it could be, when suddenly she saw Ogin's daughter waving her over.

'Akiha!'

She sped up, and when Fuu got close enough she greeted her good friend with a warm embrace. She was like the older sister she never had. Akiha pulled back from the hug and grinned that wide grin of hers.

'I'd recognize that kimono anywhere. It's good to see you again. How've you been, love? Pops told me you went on a journey of your own, searching for someone. Did it go well?'

Fuu's heart sank at the last part, recalling the horrible scene where that awful beast of a samurai sliced her father in half right in front of her. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will it away from her mind, and as she reopened them, said:

'Yeah. Yeah, it went okay. I found him in the end, so it's alright.'

But Akiha wasn't one to be fooled. Her expression tensed, sensing that something had gone wrong.

''It's alright'? Wait, what's 'alright'? Fuu, judging by the looks of you, it didn't go exactly as you had planned, did it?'

Fuu sighed. There was no use trying to hide things from Akiha.

'No. Not really. The person I was looking for was my father.' Akiha's eyes widened at this. 'He left me and mom to support some _religion_ or something.… anyway, all I wanted to do was sock 'im, you know, for abandoning us, and especially when mom was sick. But then when I finally saw him, he was in such poor health, like mom was…all I could do was feel sorry for him. I just gave him a little speech; I couldn't hurt him. He was nearly blind, too.' She paused. 'Then that samurai came along and… and killed him. Just like that.'

Akiha seemed confused, worried, and sorry at the same time.

'Boy, that was a lot of information to register in forty seconds…' She quickly shook her head. Akiha wasn't quite too good with saying the right thing at the right time. 'It seems like you've had a really rough life during these past five months.'

She had. Fuu recalled all the times she had been kidnapped and taken hostage, which happened far more than she would have thought, and the times she had been scared half to death. Like when that creepy guy summoned those zombies from their graves, or…

Or when she nearly lost Mugen. _Twice_.

'Oi. Fuu? Daydreaming again, I see.'

Fuu snapped back to the present, slightly annoyed that she was capable of being distracted by her own thoughts so easily.

'Heh…yeah, I have had a pretty rough time.'

Akiha nodded. 'But I'm so sorry to hear about your father…it must've been horrible. I can't imagine going through something like that…watching a loved one die…'

Fuu considered the term 'loved one'. Of course there was a familial love between them, but Fuu hadn't known her father well enough at all to say she truly loved him for who he was. But she did know that he was a good man, regardless…she knew, despite him being a wanted, disgraced samurai.

'Well, it wasn't as bad as you might imagine. I never shared any memories with him, I never had a past with him… he was never in my life. That made it a bit easier to take. But then, I realized that my father had just been killed. Not just a sick old man, but my _father_. And that moment was also when I had truly become an orphan, which got me kind of depressed. But I had those two to help me cope…' she smiled, remembering Jin's consoling words, and Mugen… well, Mugen had his own way of going about it that made her smile all the same. Even though he was still a huge lanky jerkwad.

'I see. Well, at least you don't seem-'

A scream interrupted her sentence.

'Somebody, help! Thief! Thiiiiief!'

Fuu became alert. Thievery wasn't common in this part of town, so this was rather unsettling.

'Sounds like trouble, darling. I'm itching to go look,' Akiha stated enthusiastically.

'Oh, yes, because at the ripe age of thirty-two you're _always_ ready for trouble.' Fuu giggled at Akiha's responding facial expression.

'Hmph. I'm readier than your average thirty-two year old. And besides, I look twenty. Now let's get moving!' And with that, she got a firm hold of Fuu's wrist and dashed through the sea of people, nearly dragging the young girl, heading this way and that, muttering ''Scuse me's and 'Pardon me's all the while. Fuu smirked; she acted so childish. If there was one thing Akiha was certainly good at, it was cheering people up.

When they finally got to the scene, which was completely filled with curious passers-by, they saw the same men who were handling the wagon earlier, with a nervous look on their faces. Straight across from them was a boy, in his mid-teens, holding many bags of goods from their stock, with his face plastered against the dirt road as a tall man was holding it down with his foot.

'If I ever catch you stealing again, young one,' the man said, 'I won't let you go unpunished. This time I spare you. Now if you'd kindly give those back-' he gestured towards the bags- 'I will let you leave as if nothing had happened.'

The boy grunted and, knowing that he didn't stand a chance against a samurai this strong, agreed.

'Alright, alright… take 'em.' He threw the bags, despite being forcefully held down, back onto the wagon with ease. The tall man lifted his foot, and the youngster scrambled to his feet and sped off, gaining sharp glances and harsh 'Tch's from the townspeople as he ran. The two men thanked the mysterious stranger and continued their work.

Only when Fuu had stopped being in denial did she realize that the man was not a stranger at all. She ran up to her black-haired friend and didn't know why she doubted it was him in the first place; she could recognize him from a mile away.

'Jin!'

At the mention of his name, he glanced over his shoulder, knowing who it was, and expressionlessly said:

'You're probably wondering why I'm here.'

Fuu was beyond surprised, and really, she _didn't _know why he had come, but she maintained a casual attitude.

'I know why. You couldn't leave me for even a minute because you're so dedicated, so you followed me back here,' she exclaimed jokingly.

Jin chuckled. Partly because her tone was amusing, and party because there was some truth to it.

'Oh, what have we here!'

Akiha stood behind them, raising an eyebrow.

'So, you two know each other, hmmm?'

Fuu nodded excitedly.

'Akiha, this is Jin, one of my-'

She was about to say 'traveling companions', but she knew that was no longer true. Instead, she finished with:

'…one of my friends.' Jin didn't show it, but he was happy to have someone call him a friend. Fuu knew it, too.

'Wait- was he one of the two bodyguards that travelled with you? But didn't you say your goodbyes when you left a few days ago?'

This time, Jin spoke.

'It was more difficult for me to part with them than I thought. After considering it, I decided that I had to go on with one of them… otherwise, I know I would have been alone once again, with no more purpose to fight, like before. So I decided to follow Fuu back here. After all, I am her protector.'

Fuu scowled, somewhat disheartened.

'So you only came back with me so you could still have a reason to fight? Jin! And I thought you were being nice.'

Jin shook his head lightly.

'I feel an everlasting need to protect you now, so I must be with you in order to carry out that duty, of course…however…'

Fuu gave him a questioning look.

'However what?'

Jin shook his head again.

'It's nothing,' he said in that vague manner of his, and quickly changed the subject. 'Well, now that we're together, we should find a lodging of sorts.'

'Not so fast, pretty boy!' Akiha took a grand step towards Jin and looked him straight in the eye. 'A strong, handsome samurai… I can't just let a man like that slip through my fingers!'

Fuu punched Akiha's shoulder, and the latter yelped in pain.

'Jeez, Fuu, could you hit me any harder?'

'He's been taken, Kiki. Don't try anything funny, or I'll just hit you harder.'

Akiha smirked at the use of the old nickname.

'He is, is he? I'm not surprised, really. I mean, with his looks…'

Jin said nothing, now clearly annoyed with Akiha. He also didn't like to be reminded of Shino… it would still be more than two and a half years until she'd be released from that Enkiri Dera*. But he couldn't afford to be wistful now. He ignored the obnoxious flirt and turned to Fuu. 'I am growing quite tired already. The long journey back here was exhausting. We could stay over there-' he gestured towards a small inn- 'and don't worry about the cost. I'll take care of that.'

'Okay,' Fuu agreed. 'Thanks. I'm pretty beat myself. We can figure out what we'll do from here in the morning. I just want to sleep.'

She faced Akiha, grinning like they did when they were younger.

'Well, it was great to see you again, I really missed you, Akiha.'

The said girl still wore that mischievous smirk, and said:

'Definitely, love. Glad to finally have you back." And with that, she turned around and walked down the opposite road, back to her small home.

Jin began walking towards the old hospice, but Fuu stopped him.

'Jin,' she began, 'I'm sorry I brought up Shino. I know you hate being reminded of her. But Akiha is too much sometimes, you know?"

'I know,' he interrupted coldly. 'Don't worry about it.' And he ended it there. He continued walking, and approached the front doors.

Fuu simply sighed. Of course, Jin was being his normal, emotionless self again. Sometimes he could be so unpredictable… not to mention a complete jerk, like that time he and Mugen abandoned her in the middle of nowhere, or when he wouldn't share any of the delicious European meat in Nagasaki. But she had to admit, for someone who had never had any friends before, he was a good one.

'Are you coming?' Jin looked at her, uncertain.

'Of course,' she smiled, and turned to follow him through the doors.

But before he stepped through the threshold, he stopped.

'Oh, and Fuu.'

'Yes?'

'I'll have you know that I am not fond of Akiha.'

* * *

* An Enkiri Dera is a temple of sorts where rehabilitating prostitutes, or rather, 'soiled doves', would like to gain freedom and/or get an annulment or divorce from their husbands. However, the women are required to stay there for three whole years before they can be released.

Hello, lovely readers.

I truly hope that you guys enjoyed reading the first chapter of Admission.  
It's my first fanfic published on the net, so I'm a bit nervous about the quality... Eheh.  
Any reviews are greatly appreciated. I love reading people's comments and critiques, so type whatever your heart desires, especially constructive criticism. I love that stuff.  
So again, enjoy. My goal is to get at least 3 reviews before bringing up chapter 2. But if I feel nice, then I'll post it real soon for you.

YAY IMPROVEMENTS~  
Thank you. :)

P.S. Just wondering - do you guys like Akiha? I tried to make her really enthusiastic, kind of a pick-me-up kind of girl- not to mention, symbolically, a piece of Fuu's past-  
but if you aren't too fond of her like poor Jin, I can just kill her off.  
:D


	2. Cooperation

--Cooperation--

Fuu's sleep was raided with several dreams, some of which she couldn't remember, and some of which she wished she hadn't remembered at all. What appeared the most, though, was the one with her father being sliced open by that monster.

But in her dream, it differed from what really happened.

This time, just as the Hand of God was about to end Seizo's life, bringing the katana upon the poor man's weak body, a dark-skinned man came sprinting through the front door of the cabin like lightning and blocked the dreaded blow, just like magic. Kimiya seemed surprised, but not for long. He ignored Fuu's father, and focused his energy on the Ryukyuan standing before him. Suddenly Fuu felt even more afraid.

'Get me,' the felon taunted. 'Go on then, do it. Spare the sunflower bastard. Get me.'

The old samurai just stared at him.

'C'mon, c'mon... You know you wanna hit me, old man.'

Fuu couldn't stand this. He was literally asking to be slashed in half. And for what reason?

'Do it.'

She felt like yelling in his face; to stop it already, that it was enough, but she couldn't budge.

'Just cut me..'

_'Punish me.'_

Finally, after a moment of silence, Kimiya did just that. He charged towards his target, with his katana pointing forward, piercing right through the man's abdomen.

And to Fuu's horror, Mugen didn't make the slightest effort to dodge that attack.

All she had time to do was scream his name as she saw the pool of blood forming beneath him, asking herself; why?

_Why...?_

_Why didn't she stop him?_

_Punishment... why? Why?_

_No..._

'No!'

She found herself laying on a bamboo mat, eyes wide, scanning her surroundings frantically. She sighed; of course, she was in her inn room, like she was supposed to be. Her pillow was damp, which surprised Fuu, because she wasn't one to cry in her sleep. She simply sighed again, and rolled over, wanting to forget that awful nightmare.

But on the opposite side of her, awake on his own bamboo mat staring her in the face, was Jin.

'You've been keeping me awake the entire night.'

Fuu flushed at this. She had no clue she'd been talking in her sleep that long.

'I'm sorry, Jin… I didn't me-' He raised a pale hand, signaling for her to stop talking.

'No. Don't apologize. I'm actually glad I heard it all.'

Fuu stiffened.

'You're…? Wait, you heard _what_? '

'Fuu. I'd like to discuss something.'

It was still dark outside, sometime in the early morning, Fuu guessed, but she had gotten a fair amount of sleep considering they both went to bed quite early. She wasn't fatigued, but she wasn't sure if she was prepared to have a talk with Jin. And he made it sound like it was going to be a pretty serious one. However, she had no objections.

'Well, if it's that important to you…'

Jin let out one of his trademark 'hnnnn's and crossed his legs. Fuu did the same, and Jin spoke;

'You may not think what I'm about to tell you makes very much sense, but this has been bothering me. Actually, it's been bothering me for quite some time.' Fuu wasn't used to Jin being this open; it kind of freaked her out.

'Jin, I'm not getting this... what's been bothering you? And since when?'

Fuu frowned, becoming slightly annoyed at Jin's vagueness.

'It's about Mugen.'

Deep down, Fuu had a feeling that that's what it was about. But she didn't admit it to Jin; not even to herself. She continued the conversation nonetheless.

'Well. I'm assuming you heard me say things in my sleep about that moronic jerk, then?'

'According to your subconscious, you adore that moronic jerk.'

She definitely wasn't expecting that.

'Uh, Did I actually say the word 'adore'?'

Jin nodded, pushing his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. 'In your sleep.'

'You said other things, as well. More intimate things…pretty deep. Especially for a girl like you. '

Fuu wanted to know what exactly was said, but she didn't want to embarrass poor Jin my making him repeat all of the supposedly sappy lines he had heard from her.

'Tch...girl like me...' she thought.

'So, hang on a second-' Fuu straightened her posture, more aware than she was a few moments ago- 'you're saying you _stayed up_ just to listen to me talk in my sleep?'

She sounded somewhat accusatory, and Jin noted this.

'I was intent on hearing what you would say, really. Considering I had suspicions in the first place, I had to. And I wouldn't have gotten sleep anyway, the way you were talking.'

Fuu blushed, and dismissed the last comment. But he had a point, she supposed.

'So, hold on. Tell me, just how long have you been 'suspecting'?

'About a month and a half.'

'...A month and a half.' Really, now.

'Yes. More specifically, when you and him were making fun of me for...' he cleared his throat, 'for not being able to fish.'

She stifled a laugh with her hand, recalling Jin's attempt at fishing. How silly that was, she thought. Diving in the water and resurfacing like a mad dolphin.

'But...why did it start then?' she asked, after she had composed herself.

'In short. Was there any other time you heard Mugen laugh like that? Or even yourself, for that matter?'

'…'

'I found that overall, even though you didn't show it very well, you were at your best when you were with him. On the outside it looked like all you did was argue, but I think that, in reality, you both had feelings for each other. Although that backfired on you, I suppose. Neither wanting to admit your feelings, bottling it up inside and letting out all your anger on each other... '

'Well sure, considering he's the one making me angry in the first place.'

'That may be true. But really, was there ever a time you were completely angry towards him? Or were you amused at the same time?'

Fuu didn't say anything, knowing that Jin had a point once again.

'Well, why do you care so much anyway? If I loved Mugen then that would be _my_ problem, wouldn't it.'

'Fuu.'

The way Jin was looking at her now, she was forced to stare at him back. He had a stunning gaze- almost frightening. When he spoke, you could tell he meant every word, even though you couldn't easily imagine Jin saying the things he said.

'Not only have you become my friend over these past five months, you have become like a little sister to me -someone I will always protect. And knowing that you are in doubt of your feelings is upsetting. I want to help you admit.'

Fuu reciprocated the feelings, of course, but she wasn't going to tell Jin now, while she felt so frustrated. In doubt?

'What makes you think I'm doubting my feelings, Jin? What is it that I have to admit to you?'

'It's nothing you have to admit to me,' Jin retorted, 'but something you must admit to yourself.'

'So I have to tell myself that I love Mugen?!' Fuu slightly raised her voice.

'I'm not going to pester you about it, but... I know now that you have at least some feelings for him. Don't deny it. Don't you know that when a boy constantly teases another girl, it means he likes her?'

'That only goes for kindergarten kids. And now you're saying _he_ likes _me_?'

'Well, it's a two-way street.'

Fuu hated how he seemed to think he knew everything. He put no 'maybes' or 'ifs' in his sentences. He had that 'if I say it, it is so' attitude that she couldn't stand.

But on the other hand, she knew he meant well for her, so she didn't complain.

She sighed, and fell back on her pillow, growing tired of the conversation.

'You're totally wearing me out with this,' Fuu moaned. 'Okay. I'll do some thinking, I guess.'

'Alright. Good. Now go to sleep.' He rolled over and said nothing more, and Fuu couldn't help but smack him in the back of the head, smiling.

She couldn't believe what he was making her do... the fact that she had to think about her feelings for Mugen was completely ridiculous. Why should you have to think about your feelings for someone? It's something that comes naturally...

She yawned, deciding that she would think tomorrow.

And with that, she closed her eyes, and fell asleep in minutes. However, the dreams did not vanish. They only worsened.

* * *

Fuu woke up feeling groggy and cranky, which wasn't too surprising, considering her sleep had been completely disturbed. Her instincts told her to get up and start the day, but she just wanted to sleep, being the lethargic person she is.

'I know you're awake.'

She ignored Jin. She didn't want to be forced to get up, so she tried to give the best impression she could that she was asleep.

'Fuu. You're not asleep.'

Damn it.

'Get up. We should find work today, don't you think?'

Now Fuu knew she was cornered- he was right, they did need to find work, especially since they had to pay the rent for the room they were staying in, and on top of that, neither of the two had eaten well for a couple of days. Needless to say, Fuu was starving, and she knew better than to be lazy when it came to finding a job.

'All right-' Fuu's stomach growled- 'maybe we could ask the innkeeper if she's willing to hire us.'

As they made their way down the hall, the innkeeper was just making her way out of an unoccupied room, where she had most likely just finished cleaning up, judging by all the rags she held in her hand.

'Hello, you two,' she exclaimed gleefully, 'did you sleep well?'

They nodded, despite the fact that neither of them did. However she seemed to believe it, so she smiled; 'Very good. Glad to hear it.'

Fuu was the first to speak.

'Excuse me, but we were wondering if you'd be willing to hire us here.'

The innkeeper's expression seemed confused at first, but brightened soon after.

'Really! Well, you came at the perfect time. I only have one girl working here at the moment, so we were about to post a sign looking for help… but you two beat us to it, I suppose-' she laughed. 'Well, how about I give you two options, since you are guests. Either one, I give you half the normal amount of pay and let you stay here for free, or two, I pay you the normal wage, but you continue paying for the room.'

'Option one would be the most convenient,' Jin said authoritatively. Luckily for him, Fuu agreed, otherwise she would have blasted him for not letting her have a say.

'Wonderful. You can start working now, if you'd like. Just go ask Kikumi about what to do-' she pointed down the hall- ' she's in the second room on the right.'

They gave their thanks, and walked to the room where they would find Kikumi. Fuu entered first, lifting the cloth divider above her head, and saw Kikumi putting away bamboo mats. When they entered the room, however, her attention was immediately directed to them.

'Hello. What can I do for you two?' she asked, in an almost disgustingly polite manner. Part of proper innkeeping etiquette, perhaps, Jin thought.

'Well, we were just hired by, ah, the innkeeper here, and she told us to ask you what to do.'

'Oh! Is that so.' Suddenly, her expression became mischievous, and she approached the two, grabbing either of their wrists and making way out back.

'Well then you're gonna have a field day with me.'

* * *

I was almost near the village. I knew it- I could smell the combination of aromas from the infinite number of restaurants. The place was full of them.

'Tch. Maybe that's why she likes it here so much...'

As I walked, I started thinking. It was sort of like one of those conversations where an angel version of you is on your right shoulder, and the devil version on your left, arguing about what the actual, full version you should be doing.

The devil spoke first.

'What am I doing coming here? This isn't where I should be going. I should be at a brothel, or some chick's house, drinking 'til my bladder bursts. Visiting the annoying stick won't do me any good.'

Angels' turn.

'But...I guess it would make the runt kinda happy. Although she probably does hate my guts, it would give her someone to yell at.'

Devil.

'But what if Jin's there? She could always yell at that bastard. Why take any crap when someone else can take it for you?'

'Dammit, but what if he isn't there? She's probably all alone. She could be gettin' kidnapped already, by some pervy creep or somethin'.'

'Nah... she's not cute enough to be kidnapped by a pervy creep.'

'But it's happened so many times before...although...'

Oh, to hell with it.

I had already made my decision, anyway. If I turned back all that would do is make me walk an extra mile. Besides, I could pick up a nice girl here if I wanted to.

But in the end, I guess the angel won.

* * *

Oooh, who's the mystery man in the end? -dunce-  
Well, hope you enjoyed the second chapter. More shall be coming soon.

5 reviews in total please and tyvm, criticize constructively AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. My motto is:

IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS [yay]

ciao ciao! (:


	3. Provocation

'Oh, good _grief,_' Fuu sighed as she entered her room, plopping herself on the floor. 'How many hours did we just work, Jin?'

The said man stumbled into the room soon after, swaying back and forth, and fell onto a load of comforters.

'I have lost all sense of time.' Clearly, they had a very busy first day of work.

'That woman is insane!' Fuu exclaimed, 'she nearly made my fingers fall off from all the cleaning. And she seemed so kind and cheerful at first!'

'Fuu, if Satan is walking about the Earth, will he openly acknowledge the fact that he is Satan?'

'...I see your point.'

She got up and brushed off her kimono. It had gotten covered in splints from the wood chopping she had done. Who makes a young woman like me chop wood, anyway? Fuu thought bitterly.

'Are you willing to keep this up?' Jin asked.

'Well, we're going to have to work our butts off nearly all day for as long as we're here... but did you see how much money they gave us?' She held up the bag of gold coins. 'I can't believe this is _half _of the normal wage. That's the upside from all this work. The owner must be pretty wealthy.'

'Hnnn. It is quite a bit of money, yes.'

'We could buy dozens of dumplings with this! Ohhh... I can taste them now...hey, hang on a second..." Fuu suddenly seemed troubled. She crawled towards Jin and studied his face. He leaned back slightly, not used to the closeness, but was relieved when she merely took off his glasses and examined them.

'These old things are cracked!'

Jin sighed.

'You mean you only just noticed ? They've been broken for days.'

'Ohhh... when you fought that samurai guy? Well, with this money we have here, we can get a new pair!'

'But...they aren't too easy to come by, and rather expen--'

'No excuses,' she interrupted, 'I'm buying you a new pair, and they're going to be prettier than these.'

Jin remained silent. Prettier?... he thought, somewhat afraid of what Fuu had in mind.

'Well. What are you waiting for? Let's go. I'm sure we'll find something.'

'I'm not quite in the mood to go anywhere,' he replied, vexed, ' and I thought you were tired, too.'

She knew she was, but she was energized at the idea of shopping for a 'rare' item.

'Fine. If you're not coming along... then I'm still going. Back before midnight- promise!' She stuffed the money into the fold of her kimono, and raced out the door. Jin smiled- so this is what it's like to have a friend, he thought. It was a nice feeling.

I wandered around the area, wondering where in the hell she could have gone. The teahouse was history, I knew that firsthand. Maybe she went to some old geezer's place? An inn? Whatever, I know I'll find her, I thought. With every minute that passed by, the urge to be near her was getting stronger. Who knows what she might get herself into- anything could happen to that chick. I walked, walked, and, yeah, walked. All I was doing was walking, with no lead or any destination. In my desperation, that walk eventually turned into a pace, and then into some sort of a jog, but some moron decided to ruin my day by bumping into my shoulder- hard.

'Watch where you're go-!'

A smaller, more feminine voice echoed mine. And I nearly burst out laughing at the sheer perfection of the situation.

She couldn't believe her eyes- there he was. Showing up when she wasn't even expecting it, and nearly blasting her shoulder off from the impact of the collision.

'You...jerk!' Fuu yelled, as she punched him in the same shoulder she had run into. 'You should watch where you're going!'

He took a moment to spit on the ground, and spoke:

'You know, maybe _you_ should watch where _you're_ going!'

'Ugh, just-' she waved her hand to dismiss his comment. 'What are you doing here?'

'What am I doing here? I came to save your ass from being killed or somethin', that's what.'

A part of her was grateful, but she wouldn't want to ruin the mood by softening up their little quarrel.

'Well, I was doing fine on my own. I don't need or want you around.'

Mugen took a quick peek at the small sack in her hand.

'Oh yeah, you're doing _fine _on your own. Where'd you get that money- another brothel? Steal it from a pimp?'

He knew it was foolish to assume these things- Fuu was good at working and Mugen was totally aware of it. But the endless pleasure of getting on every last nerve of hers... can't put a price on that.

As expected, she packed a nice solid punch to his upper arm.

'I can't believe you! We reunite, and the first thing you do is bust my shoulder and then accuse me of being a thief. I would never stoop so low! And you have the nerve to-'

'Oh, quit your whining,' he interrupted. 'If it weren't fer me, you'd be long gone, chica.'

She knew it was true, of course, but continued on walking as if the encounter had never happened.

'Hey, where d'you think you're going?' he said as he grabbed the back of her kimono, causing her to stumble backward.

'I have to go buy stuff. You know, something _normal _people do.'

'Well, I never _said_ I was a normal person, sweetheart, but...' he scratched the back of his neck lazily, 'whatever floats your boat. What're you buying anyway? Food, I'll bet.'

Blinded by her frustration, she blurted:

'As a matter of fact, I'm buying new glasses for Jin.'

Mugen's facial expression remained unchanged, but he was surprised. He knew there was a chance, but... he didn't really think that Jin had gotten to her this quickly .

'So four-eyes is with you, huh,' he stated, hiding his annoyance. With each passing moment, although he and Four Eyes had decided to be something like 'friends or whatever', he just felt like storming into wherever he and Fuu were staying and kicking him out for being so clingy.

'Well, _I _went to see her too...' Mugen thought, 'But I'm not clingy. No way in hell. Nah, i'm just trying to make sure she ain't getting her limbs chopped off. That's all-- I'll bet he's just molesting her. He kind of has that molester's smile. You know--'

'Look, are you going to stop staring at my boobs anytime soon?'

Mugen blinked, unaware that he was staring at her chest. He was about to tell her off, but then thought it would be wuss-like to let go of his manly pride so easily.

'Actually, no.' This time he only stared at them even more intently than before. 'Even though they're practically nonexistent...' he mentally added.

'Ohhh!... You damn lecher!'

'...Heh.' Mugen scoffed and continued in the direction that he had been going in earlier, and he had the nerve to bump into her a second time. For a minute she felt a playfulness in his touch, but figured that overall it was simply out of pure childishness. However, she made nothing of it.

And with that she kept walking, much faster than normal. Of course, Mugen got a good chuckle out of the entire rendezvous.

He didn't follow- he decided to let her go be a brat somewhere else. Instead, he wanted to stir up a little more mischief. He looked down, scanning the dirt road, and surely enough, found tracks. Deep tracks. Fuu's tracks.

'Tch. Of course she'll leave tracks as deep as a freaking moon crater.' He smirked. 'Oh, I'll find out where you're shackin', sweetheart... You know it.' He mentally congratulated himself for being so clever, and followed the tracks.

Fuu kept wandering around the village, not quite too sure where she was headed, but mainly she was looking for a small, quirky shop that would carry such uncommon objects as glasses. However, all she could find were restaurants and clothing shops-- perhaps the odd bookstore, but those were for rich travelers. Not for the likes of her, unfortunately.

'Gee, I wonder how Jin managed to get his glasses anyway...' Fuu thought, as she scanned the various stores and kiosks. 'But...come to think of it, he doesn't even really need them for his eyesight. They're only for show, right? Like his trademark or somethi-'

And she fell face first on the cold hard ground.

'Oww! What the hell...' She whined, rubbing her face with her hands, trying to remove the grains of sand that had gotten stuck to it, although a few still remained due to the sweltering heat of the afternoon. She looked back and realized that she had tripped on... a dead fish. Of all things.

'First the Stupid Jerk nearly dislocates my shoulder -_twice_-, and now I trip on a gross slimy thing and get a mouthful of sand? What a day...'

'Young lady, you wouldn't happen to be hurt, would you?' An unfamiliar voice addressed Fuu.

She looked up, and couldn't believe her eyes. She never thought something _this_ nice would happen to her that day.

An incredibly good-looking young man, about twenty or so, stared her right in the face, smiling so gracefully it would make any woman's heart implode. His hand was outstretched towards her, offering to help her up-- the classic sign of gentlemanliness.

And get this; he had on a pair of drop dead gorgeous glasses.

'They look _expensive_,' she thought.

'O-oh. No, no, I'm fine, I'm good. Not hurt,' Fuu mumbled, feeling quite lucky. She steadily stood up, ignoring his hand, and knitted her hands together in a girly fashion. The glasses... they were a thousand times nicer than Jin's old, dull things. He retracted his hand and stood up, still smiling.

'Er, this may sound a bit odd, sir-- but could I, ah, inspect your glasses for a sec?'

His smiley expression remained unchanged, save for a slight eyebrow raise, and chuckled.

'Oh, no, I've had that tried on me a good many times before, my young lady. I'm afraid I won't be letting these go.' He pushed them up to the bridge of his nose- a somewhat Jin-like thing to do, Fuu thought- as if he were protecting them.

Fuu stared at him, her mouth slightly open.

'Um. He thinks I'm going to steal them.' she thought.

Which was kind of her plan, really, but clearly that couldn't be done now. Plan A; officially ruined. She sighed.

'Mister, I wasn't planning on stealing them, really,' she lied, quite well, actually. 'I, uh, you see, I have a friend who--'

'Hrrrrrm, so you're interested in purchasing them, then? Hmmmmmm?'

'Is this guy a mind reader or something?!' Fuu exclaimed mentally, awestruck by this pretty stranger.

'Well, if you're willing to purchase them, that'll be one gold ryo, please!' He closed his eyes, and held out his hand, implying that he wanted the money immediately.

Fuu's expression brightened-- it seemed that he completely underestimated the amount of money she had.

'Of course... if I'm dressed like this, in an old worn kimono, he's bound to think I'm some peasant, and automatically assume I've got little or no money at all!' She nearly laughed.

She whipped out the oval-shaped coin, astonishing the young man.

'Will this do?' Fuu asked, wearing a seemingly benevolent grin.

The man suddenly seemed defeated. He merely stared at Fuu, with something that looked a lot like confusion, and simultaneously exchanged the two items himself. He walked away, mumbling something under his breath that sounded a lot like 'Eh, well, what can you do?...' and treasured his newly acquired coin. Fuu stared off, watching him as he walked along the path, his eyes still fixated on the money.

'...What a weird guy. Sure was handsome, though.'

Satisfied with her 'purchase', she span back on her feet gaily--

And bumped into something. Again.

She looked up, only to find Mugen towering over her. _Again ._

'...Why you again?' They complained, synchronously.

'I thought _you _were going in the other direction!' Fuu yelled, gathering the attention of a group of strangers.

'Yeah, well, I got lost!' Mugen shouted back. Which is odd, because he should have been able to follow Fuu's tracks. At one point, they most likely blended with other people's footsteps, he supposed.

'Ugh, why is today such a horrible day? Why are you always popping up every time I turn around?'

'I don't know, maybe because _you're_ trying to follow me everywhere since you're so damn desperate?'

Their voices only grew louder, and people continued to listen from inside restaurants, from their houses, and some even formed a small entourage.

'Me, desperate? That has got to be the biggest joke I have _ever_ not laughed at. I just finished getting these-' she held up her precious gift- 'thank you very much.'

Mugen was about to say something, but he took another look at the glasses, examining them carefully.

The crowd around them gasped and began to mutter incoherently amongst one another, clearly in awe.

'Yeah, they're nice, aren't th--'

Mugen roughly grabbed them from Fuu's hand, and gave her a long, hard glare.

'You're an idiot. Do you know whose glasses these are?'

Fuu stood, wide-eyed, unable to comprehend Mugen's sternness. They started speaking more quietly now, and eventually the crowd dispersed, off to tend to their own business.

'I, uh, bought them from this young guy--'

'Yeah. That 'young guy' is the chief of the yakuza in this area. Everyone knows him for the glasses he wears. You should know that, you dumb broad. How much did'ja end up paying him?'

...Yakuza? She thought.

'I, uh, I paid him one gold ryo...But he-- yeah, he was a bit weird...but, he was so--he looked so--'

'Yeah, that's what every girl says. He's a screwed up guy, but he's pretty damn serious when it comes to business. What he's really trying to do is make sure that he and his gang are the richest bastards in this place. The fact that you let him know you have money is a threat to him and his little bozos. Now because you're so damn _stupid _and you paid him one damn _ryo_, he's gonna come after you. Bitch. I can't have that happen.'

Before Fuu could even protest, Mugen took her by the wrist and led her out of the market and into the village area.

'Lead me to where you're staying. We'll lay low there until they come for us, so then that way I can freakin' kick their asses.'

Fuu nodded, and couldn't resist the urge to smile. Her anger had completely vanished now.

'This... this is the way Mugen expresses himself,' she thought, ' whatever danger comes my way, he always jumps in to protect me. No matter what.'

Finally, they reached the inn.

Only to discover that it had been completely trashed, with nobody in sight except for the pretty yakuza leader and two of his henchmen, all brandishing long katanas, just about ready to pounce on either one of them.

'And I wouldn't change that about him for the world.'


End file.
